As most of you probably know by now, Padre Dam, and most of the other San Diego County water agencies, has raised their drought status to Level 2 (see the April 28 Union-Tribune article). This means that certain cutbacks will become mandatory beginning July 1. These will include restriction to three days of watering per week, and only ten minutes per “station,” and shutoff of non-recirculating ornamental fountains. I’m sure there will be other restrictions/suggestions to come, since we have not had a “normal” year of rain for a while and the amount of water from the Sacramento Delta has been cut back substantially.

I think it might be a good idea to start a dialog on water-saving tips here – we can share ideas and find ways to support the community. I will start by tossing out an idea I use: plug your tub when you take a shower and save the water (by the way, a short shower saves water to begin with). You can use this water for a number of uses, including watering your garden (I use a pump and hose to get the water out) or flushing the toilet.

Here is another way to save water, especially if you have a large area with sprinklers. First, in the interest of full disclosure I want you to know that I have been writing and editing copy for the advertising manager of this company recently. But it is still a really interesting product and can be a water and money saver. It’s called the No More Geysers Riser, and it is an automatic shut-off system for your sprinklers. When a sprinkler head gets broken off, this thing shuts off the water just to that sprinkler – so no more having to shut down an entire area because of one or two broken heads. You can learn more about the system at No More Geysers.

I hope some of you will comment and/or share your own ideas to save water. You can also get more ideas at: